First she made the bride-to-be wear a huge homemade veil and a T-shirt that read, "Last night as a free women."

"She hated it but loved every second of the attention it brought her," Johansen, of Danbury, said.

Plenty of people get engaged around the holidays, so don't be surprised to see a lot of women out partying it up in coming months. Being with friends, local women say, is the key to success for bachelorette parties.

While her friends didn't make her wear any funny clothing, they did embarrass her - alot.

"They started with a sex toy party and my face was bright red the entire time," the 24 year-old Brewster resident said.

The torture didn't stop there.

Chiarello said her friends planned a scavenger hunt where they had to find random items from people in the bar.

On their list: a condom, a business card from a guy named
Todd
, a guy who knew the word to "Ice Ice Baby" and many more.

"The entire bar was playing along," she said. "In hindsight it was a lot of fun, but it was embarrassing that night."

But worse than that was the "Task list" her maid of honor gave her. She had to have a guy do a shot off her body, let men bite the candy necklace she was wearing, and dance on a table with a guy.

"I honestly could have killed them," she said. "It was torture."

Not every bridal party decides to torture their bride-to-be friend.

Noel Clynes
said her bachelorette party was everything she could have asked for.

The 27-year-old Danbury resident has never been into the typical bachelorette party ideas.

"I didn't want to go get wasted and make fools of ourselves," she said. "Thank God my friends knew that."

Instead of a ladies romp on the town, Clynes and six of her closest friends hit the slopes.

They rented a cabin in Vermont and spent the weekend skiing and hanging out.

"At night we reminisced and talked about getting married and stuff like that," she said. "We bonded so much and that's what a ladies night should really be about."

Francine Miller
also didn't want a big deal made out of her party. The 28-year-old Brewster resident said the scavenger hunt-bar hopping parties are just another excuse to get drunk.

"Me and my girls have been there and done that," she said. "I wanted something different for my party."

She and four friends spent a day and night in NYC, having brunch, hitting the spa and shopping. Then they went out for a dinner and drinks and spent the night at the
Plaza hotel
.

"It was pricey but worth every second," she said "It's like a once in a lifetime thing."

The only thing all the women did agree on is to make sure you do what the bride wants.

"I think the worst thing is when the bridal party plans things the bride has no interest in," Johansen said.

Clynes thinks it's easy. If the bride is laid back and more reserved, do something she will enjoy. "Someone who isn't really into the party scene is going to be miserable if you do a night on the town," she said. "And someone who likes to live it up is going to be bored doing anything else."

Miller said when in doubt, ask. "A lot of maid of honors seem to think they have to make it a big surprise and then the bride ends up having no input."

No matter what you decide to plan, Clynes said not to forget who the night is really all about.

"It's the bride's last night with her ladies before she gets married," she said. "So spoil her, make her the center of it, and do whatever in you power to make sure she has a good time. It's something she'll remember forever."

Editor's note: Editing this story made Newstimes 180 editor
Jackie Domin
nostalgic about her own bachelorette party. Here, she shares what made the experience so special.

I don't drink. I'm not much of a dancer.

So I didn't envy my sister when she was charged with planning my bachelorette party a few years ago.

Knowing full well my likes and dislikes, though, she put together a celebration that I will always remember.

When we were in high school, we worked together at Popeyes, the fast-food fried chicken restaurant. We both loved the food there, so the day started with several boxes of chicken and mashed potatoes, shared by a bunch of my closest friends.

Then they presented me with a shirt to wear for the rest of the day. It said things like, "Kiss me while I'm still single" and "Cop a feel, $5."

I couldn't bring myself to even smile. I didn't care who I ticked off, I wasn't going to wear it. As I began to protest, they pulled out a second, tamer shirt.

The original, it turned out, was just a joke - thank goodness. The real one said on the front "Seven days of freedom left" and on the back, "After that, it's happily ever after." I was also given a baseball cap that said, "Bachelorette."

I put on the shirt and hat, and we headed to an amusement park (Great Escape in Lake George, N.Y.). We all went on water rides, roller coasters, the sky ride and the Ferris wheel, laughing and screaming. Everyone treated me to drinks, ice cream and other treats.

I got a lot of stares in my bachelorette garb, and I loved it. It was fun to tell everyone I was getting married the following weekend and to have total strangers give me big smiles and wish me well.

After we'd ridden all the rides we wanted to ride, we went down the road to a nice Chinese restaurant, where I got some presents to take on my honeymoon, including fancy lingerie for the whole week.

Then we drove out to a campground and pitched a few tents, where we were going to sleep for the night. Someone built a fire, and we all sat around it, reminiscing and imagining the future.